Igor Plotnitsky

Igor Plotnitsky (26 June 1964-), also known as Ihor Plotnytskiy, was the President of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) from 14 August 2014, succeeding Valery Bolotov.

Biography
Ihor Plotnytskiy was born on 26 June 1964 in Kelmentsi, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. In 1982 he went to live in the city of Luhansk, and he joined the Soviet Army, serving as a reserve officer. After the independence of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) was proclaimed on 21 May 2014, Plotnitsky became the Minister of Defense of the unrecognized state. He commanded LPR forces in the war against the government of Ukraine during the Ukrainian Civil War, fighting alongside Russia's Russian Army and GRU as well as the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). On 14 August he was made the new President of the LPR after Valery Bolotov's resignation, and he foolishly requested for Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko to accompany him for a duel on live television on 19 November 2014 in an open letter. The letter was duly ignored.